On October 15, 2026, CivicScience put AI shopping adoption at 37% in its new Agentic Retail Report, the eighth consecutive month the figure has climbed. The report also found that 61% of AI shoppers research on one platform and then buy somewhere else. ChatGPT is the main product research destination for 48% of AI shoppers and Gemini for 21%. Grocery and electronics lead the categories, each at 32%.
The 61% figure separates two moments. The shopper settles on a brand in the assistant and pays for it somewhere else, often on a retailer's site.
The assistant's word now carries real weight. Morning Consult finds that shoppers are as likely to be swayed by an AI agent's recommendation as by an influencer's, Semafor reported on October 16. Agent traffic is climbing quickly as well. Cheq, a cybersecurity company that verifies AI shopping agents, recorded a 100x surge in AI agent traffic over a 45-day period after the consumer agents Instinct and Meta's Muse launched.
Retailers are answering that traffic in different ways. Amazon and eBay have blocked agents to keep control of their ads businesses and their checkout, according to Semafor. Target permits agents from approved providers, and Walmart is partnering with AI companies including OpenAI and Google, PYMNTS reported. Few shoppers are comfortable letting AI make purchases on their behalf, so the agent's influence mostly ends at the recommendation.
The step a brand controls comes before any of those checkout decisions. Ask ChatGPT and Gemini, the two assistants CivicScience's respondents rely on most, the product questions your shoppers ask, and check that the answers describe your products accurately.
Common questions
How many people use AI to shop?
CivicScience's Agentic Retail Report, published October 15, 2026, puts AI shopping adoption at 37%, up for eight consecutive months.
Where do AI shoppers buy after researching?
61% of AI shoppers research on one platform and buy somewhere else, according to CivicScience.
Which retailers block AI shopping agents?
Amazon and eBay block them, according to Semafor's October 16, 2026 report. Target allows agents from approved providers, and Walmart is partnering with AI companies including OpenAI and Google.